Ballet Review: The Alberta Ballet’s Fumbling Towards Ecstacy

Standing ovations, roaring applause, cat calls and an impossibly large flower bouquet: These were just a few of the sights and sounds at the premiere of Alberta Ballet’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy on Thursday night. It was, as they say, a crowd-pleaser.

This new creation features some old tricks, though, and it remains to be seen at what point the genre of ‘pop ballet’ stops laboring toward artistic merit and focuses instead on mass commercial appeal. It is, after all, an odd place for ballet to be — partnered with light rock, striving to be taken seriously. But on the other hand, it is a feat this seriously accomplished company has achieved before.

Inspired by and featuring the music of singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan, this is artistic director Jean Grande-Maitre’s third collaboration with a pop star. Last year, Love Lies Bleeding, a biographical ballet created with Elton John, hit the same stage, and in 2007 Joni Mitchell’s ballet The Fiddle and the Drum had its world premiere here.

The company’s performance and presence is spectacular. Together, the 30 dancers present an incredible sight; individually strong, they work in tight cohesion to perform some of the best scenes in this ballet. Nine of them are new; three directly from the National Ballet of Cuba. They are young, beautiful, athletic and soulful — qualities the audience relished and often rewarded with impromptu applause during the show.

“We are immensely proud of the Alberta Ballet,” said Bill Avery, director and producer for the Young Canadians of the Calgary Stampede, during the intermission, “They are clearly an incredible company.”

For many seat-holders on opening night, though, it was McLachlan herself and not Alberta Ballet’s artistic risk-taking that brought them here. Before the curtain rose, Grande-Maitre and McLachlan walked up the theatre aisle to take their seats, prompting a standing ovation. And not until the second act did a clear transition between McLachlan’s top 40 hits begin to emerge: love, tragedy, grieving, growing old and celebrating life.

Some faithful patrons, however, may not still be sold on the “pop ballet” concept, with a noticeable lack of harmony between the music, costumes and choreography evident in the early going. Where the music struck one tone, the sometimes distracting backdrops would strike another altogether.

It was not until the third scene, set to the title song Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, that the crowd broke into applause and the staging became more cleverly designed; using light, colour and shadow to highlight both the dancers and costumes.

It was here, too, with a pas de deux between dancers Galien Johnston and Kelley McKinlay, that the ballet finally hit a moving chord. McKinlay and Johnston are a familiar team to Alberta Ballet audiences, and there is clearly a shared language and chemistry between them. This also marks Johnston’s final ballet. At 31, she is retiring. When the lovers part, there is a physical tension in the auditorium as the young dancers say goodbye in the language of their craft.

For the majority of seat-holders on opening night, it is McLachlan herself and not Alberta Ballet’s artistic risk-taking that brought them here. She emerges from a long white limousine, arm-in-arm with Grand-Maitre, and the crowd explodes into applause. People throng forward to watch them walk a short red carpet, knocking over velvet rope and snapping photos with their mobile phones. She is wearing a dress by Calgary-based designer Paul Hardy, who created the 98 unique and stunningly beautiful costumes for this ballet. Before the curtain rises, Grande-Maitre and McLachlan walk up the theatre aisle to take their seats, prompted a standing ovation before the show had even begun.

For Grande-Maitre, who has kept his company firmly rooted in the ballet tradition (the giant leaps, incredible holds, precise strength of Arabesque and graceful movement en pointe), the risk is mostly financial. Tour dates for Love Lies Bleeding, his $1.2-million spectacle, have been delayed due to unspecified logistics. Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, which has enjoyed early ticket sales beyond the company’s original reckoning, got a big boost from McLachlan herself. Subscription sales are up and new touring opportunities have emerged.

“Sarah went way beyond our expectations in helping to create this ballet, promote this ballet and raise money for this ballet,” Grande-Maitre said.

The ballet’s libretto traces “the deeply spiritual odyssey of a woman’s life” from first romantic encounter to “mature love,” ending with McLachlan’s playful Ice Cream. The lyrics appear on screen behind the dancers who lean into the audience at one point, encouraging a sing-a-long. They are having fun with it, and the audience is, too. Whether it is as “intensely moving” as McLachlan hoped it would be, is up for debate.

In the end, fans of Sarah McLachlan will find much to love here. Artwork by singer and videos of her performances are part of this production, And under the discipline of Edmund Stripe and the creative vision of Grande-Maitre, the ballet troupe presents beautiful work despite the sometimes incongruent music and staging. Fans of Alberta Ballet — an immensely talented and creative company — or any ballet, for that matter, would do better to wait for next season’s line-up when, when among other spectacular shows, Love Lies Bleeding will be staged in both Calgary and Vancouver.

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy runs May 12-14 in Edmonton. For more information, visit albertaballet.com.